By Travis Slagle, Horticulture Therapy Director To love the land is the oldest and most essential way of life in Hawaii. The people who care deeply for the land know what it means to be “pono” (to have integrity); they respect the ancestors by continuing their work, by planting the seeds, cultivating the “kalo” (taro), …
By Erin Levine, Clinical Admissions Director Every Friday evening when I am winding down my week, I take some time to view the slideshow of pictures that catalogs the activities the students participated in that week. I scroll through hundreds of pictures of busy and smiling faces in the different camps, at different phases of …
By Mike Sullivan, Therapist This is fascinating – and you will likely be able to relate to this. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi and colleagues in Italy pondered the mental state of artists while in the act of creating art. Through phenomenological studies, Csíkszentmihályi, maintains that people can basically become absorbed into an activity and reach a particular …
Pacific Quest Wilderness Therapy program recently hosted two key leaders from the Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria, Australia. Karen and Paul Delamotte joined Pacific Quest’s Land Supervisor Travis Slagle for an interactive tour of the 8 acre wilderness program in Hawaii that has provided life changing experiences for hundreds of youth from around the world. …
By Grant Helmus, Field Manager At Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program, we strive to serve all our students as unique individuals. We understand that they are here for a variety of reasons and we strive to work with them all differently. Pacific Quest is an outdoor therapy program using a Sustainable Growth™ treatment model as …
By Hilary Moses, Clinical Director Over the past few months I have been working with our Land Supervisor, Travis Slagle, to produce what we hope will be a great 3-hour presentation for the upcoming Wilderness Symposium in Boulder. Travis’ energy about horticultural therapy and life in the gardens is infectious. As we sit and banter, …
By Yvette Slagle, Outreach Assistant Pacific Quest was recently featured on LA Talk Radio with Lon Woodbury focusing on “Parent Choices for Struggling Teens”. Pacific Quest’s Land Supervisor Travis Slagle and Dr. Katie Kasenchak were guests on the show and highlighted some of the key aspects that set Pacific Quest apart from other wilderness therapy …
By Travis Slagle, Horticulture Therapy Director In the past three weeks I had the opportunity to attend the annual conference for the American Horticultural Therapy Association, and co-present with Hilary Moses at the Wilderness Therapy Symposium sponsored by the Outdoor Behavioral Health Care Industry Council. Both organizations are dedicated to developing research and professional development …
By Bridger Jensen, Therapist Recently, I met with the staff of Pacific Quest to talk with them about positive psychology and sustainable growth. It was no surprise to find them already aware of how positive psychology facilitates change. They even had personal experiences and examples of how using it daily with the students enhanced the …
By Travis Slagle, Horticulture Therapy Director Imagine what the world would be like if wilderness therapists of the future became organic farmers. What if the people entrusted to witness life’s most significant transitions traded in the more esoteric theories of eco-psychology and wilderness survival for a simple shovel and pitch fork? For many people, the …